NMMI notches NJCAA grid title

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — New Mexico Military Institute’s football team reached its highest heights Friday, the rank of National Junior College Athletic Conference Division I national champion.

The second-seeded Broncos led wire to wire at historic War Memorial Stadium, using a 24-0 first half to take down No. 1-ranked Iowa Western 31-13 and capture its first NJCAA title in program history.

First-year Broncos head coach Kurt Taufa’asau was named National Coach of the Year while running back Anthony Grant earned Most Valuable Player honors after carrying the ball 34 times for 192 yards.

The Broncos (12-1) become the first No. 2 seed to claim the national championship since 2013.

“It means a lot. Credit goes out to the players, coaching staff, support staff and all the guys that believed,” said Taufa’asau. “To be an alum and (to) bring it back to New Mexico Military … I’m speechless right now. Just proud of the way guys worked (and) battled throughout the year.”

Quarterback Diego Pavila threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a 34-yard score, while Grant had a 23-yard TD run and a 4-yard touchdown reception. Pavila also rushed for 55 yards on eight carries, most of it coming on his scoring run to put NMMI up 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

Pavila found five targets on his 13-of-20 passing night. Clovis High grad Malik Phillips had one catch for 4 yards and one run for a loss of a yard.

Iowa Western, which didn’t score until 12:12 remained, put together 384 total yards of offense while NMMI had 373. The Broncos dominated the rushing attack with 252 yards compared to the Reivers’ 74.

There are 21 players on the Broncos roster from the state of New Mexico, and Taufa’asau hopes to recruit more next season to help add to the depth.

“I think it’s huge,” he said. “It goes to show that we continue to build our foundation with in-state kids.

“New Mexico Military Institute isn’t a bad place. We can play ball down in Roswell. I hope they saw what these guys put on display tonight and put some thoughts in their mind about the recruiting process.”